Trona High students glimpse the blades of Mercy

Saturday

Dec 1, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Trona High School first-responder regional occupation program students got an up-close and hands-on look at a Mercy Air medical-evacuation helicopter Wednesday when the helicopter crew visited the San Bernardino Fire Department station in Trona.

By John V. Cianijciani@ridgecrestca.com

Trona High School first-responder regional occupation program students got an up-close and hands-on look at a Mercy Air medical-evacuation helicopter Wednesday when the helicopter crew visited the San Bernardino Fire Department station in Trona.Prior to the helicopter's arrival, Mercy Air Area Business Manager Bill Baker talked to the students about setting up a landing zone and careers with Mercy Air as well as safety issues associated with flying."We work very closely with the fire departments," he said. "The fire departments are the ones who are usually on the scene to set up our landing zones."Baker said he taught the students how to set up a landing zone and the parameters associated with ensuring a safe landing zone."Flight nurses are required to have five years experience to be hired with us, and paramedics are required to have three years," he said. "Pilots are required to have 2,500 hours."Firefighter Karin Siegle said the department is in contact with Mercy Air. "They need to know what to expect on a call," she said. "There are a lot of dangers and safety hazards."She showed students how to prepare a landing zone, such as wetting the ground to keep dust and debris down.First-responder ROP instructor Capt. Doris Vanhorn said this is part of the ROP curriculum."This is special operations," she said. "When the firefighters are out on a call like a trauma patient, we have to know how to land a helicopter. We have to know how to approach a helicopter. It's also the issues of special operations. I wanted them to see there is aviation here. There's flight nurses and paramedics. There's all kinds of skills they can go into and be in a helicopter."